The level of engagement and concern and chatter about our transportation future is encouraging.

In response to Thursday’s column, many readers shared their angst. But, most of all, they add to the chorus calling on politicians to show courage in the face of the anti-tax crusaders and those who peddle the deceit that we can fix our congestion mess for free.

They know that while city hall can find more spending efficiencies, there is not $2 billion worth of waste to recoup and divert to transit.

And that means our tax dollars or increased user fees will be needed to feed the mix of strategies required to pay for the plans already studied and approved.

Conservative talk-show host John Tory once held Hudak’s title. Just last week Tory was introduced as a “champion” pushing for approval of new taxes or fees to pay for transit.

“People want lean, mean government before they give more money,” Tory conceded. “But there is no free transit. Efficiency will not deliver $2 billion a year.”

Besides, the $2 billion is a first-blush calculation that does not include operating and maintenance costs of the Big Move’s $50 billion transit plan for the GTA and Hamilton. (So, add another $2 billion annually). And it doesn’t account for several essential projects like the Downtown Relief Line; neither does it project that $50 billion will become $70 billion by the time we get build-out in 25 to 30 years. So add another $2 billion, for a total of $6 billion. A year. To give us a fighting chance to stall the march towards gridlock.

“If we do nothing it will be catastrophic,” Tory said. And so did readers.

There is no sense of despair in that analysis. The Toronto region is rich enough and resourceful enough to pay the costs. And we can do it without the hocus-pocus of fooling citizens into thinking that we can turn transit over to the private sector who will build it without costing us a penny.

The Toronto Transit Alliance is pushing a 1 per cent solution as the “best option to reduce gridlock in Toronto.” Its director is Sarah Thomson — the same Ms Thomson who got this issue buzzing in 2010 when she was first off the mark to promise an expanded transit network, paid for by higher tolls or fees or taxes.

“The federal government gets all our tax dollars, so they need to pay the biggest share. . .” said retiree David Wright.

The Toronto region would gladly take an equal share — even a minority share through an ongoing, well-funded national transit strategy.

“All options should be on the table,” says reader Neale Gifford, especially funding measures that would be spread across the entire Toronto region. Gifford calls it, “in effect, a regional tithe.”

City of Toronto staff have prepared a discussion paper that is going out for public discussion over the next few months. It lists a number of revenue tools that governments can unleash to raise the money. The tools are being used across Canada and the world to desired effect.

According to city numbers, a 1 per cent income-tax revenue would yield $1.4 billion a year in the region; the net amounts to $1.3 billion if the tool is a sales tax. The other taxes with huge yield are highway tolls ($1.5 billion) and a parking levy ($1 billion).

Some are more appropriate, more feasible, more equitable than others. Our preoccupation should be with which of those tools best deliver improved mobility.

Later: Funding fables.

Royson James usually appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: rjames@thestar.ca

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